Niki J.P. Alsford

Niki J.P. Alsford serves as Professor of Anthropology and Human Geography at the University of Central Lancashire, where he also directs the Institutes for the Study of the Asia Pacific (ISAP) and the Institute for Area and Migration Studies (AMIS). He maintains significant external affiliations as a Research Associate at the Centre of Taiwan Studies at SOAS, University of London, and as an Associate Member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford.

His research spans Taiwan Studies, Korean Studies, and broader Asia Pacific Studies with particular focus on historical transitions, colonial influences, and contemporary political dynamics. Alsford's work challenges conventional historical narratives, notably in his book 'Transitions to Modernity in Taiwan' which examines the 1895 petition where Taiwanese 'notables' appealed to the British government to incorporate Taiwan as a protectorate, revealing a more complex historical trajectory than the standard narrative of Japanese colonial modernization.

His publication record shows consistent interdisciplinary scholarship bridging anthropology, history, and political science. Recent works (2021-2022) address topics including Tzu-Chi and the 'Moonies,' population movements among Taiwan's indigenous peoples, and historical diplomatic missions between Britain and China. His analysis of North Korean politics, particularly regarding the Trump-Kim summit and Olympic diplomacy, demonstrates engagement with contemporary geopolitical issues.

As Director of the Northern Institute of Taiwan Studies (NorITS) launched in 2018, Alsford has expanded the boundaries of Taiwan Studies as an academic discipline. His work frequently employs transnational historical methods, examining how local developments in Taiwan and Korea connect with broader regional and global processes, particularly through his research on British treaty-port communities and early Western interactions with East Asia.